March 2019 Spotlight of the Month

We’re so excited to share with you the personal story about this months’ spotlight member of our tribe, Helen Lee. We love having her as apart of our tribe, her dedication with living a healthier lifestyle is encouraging! Here is our March 2019 Spotlight Tribe Member: Resilient, Courageous, and Motivated; Helen Lee!

Helen’s Story:

Give us a little history about yourself. Where were you born? What do you do for a living? Family? Hobbies?

“I was born in Covina, California. I am a court reporter for the Superior Court of California, County of Riverside. I have two children, Kellie Rathbone, 30; Jacob Lee 16. My hobbies include working out consistently, /spending time with my children, shopping, hanging out with girlfriends, going to all of my son’s basketball games, and sometimes just relax.”

Did you play sports growing up or are you any type of sports fan to keep you active?

“I did not play any sports growing up. I was a dancer in high school for three years.”

What is your motivation to work out/What made you decide to start your fitness career?

“My motivation to work out came 7 seven years after I left a very abusive domestic violence marriage. I had just given up on myself when I was married and let myself go. I was very unhealthy. I knew that since I was going to be a single parent, I needed to be healthy and strong, physically, for my children. My son Jacob came to the Village for training. I would bring him on the days he worked out there. I would see all of the people there working out and I thought they were crazy. I thought to myself, yeah, right. I can’t do this stuff. I’m not even going to try. Well, Fatimat, my angel, she talked to me and said to just give it a try. There was a woman, Shani, who would talk to me every time I came in and she encouraged me as well to just give it a try. She said “what do you have to lose?” The first thought that came into my mind from that question was “weight.” So I gave it a shot, and I’m very dedicated and going on 7 months now.”

How does working out make you feel versus before you started?

“I have so much more energy than I’ve ever had. I am very confident now and I am very happy all of the time. Before I started, I had a routine of coming home from work and sitting in front of the tv watching the news until bedtime. I absolutely had no energy. I was always exhausted and felt down all the time.”

What are your fitness goals now that you are familiar with your fitness ability?

“My fitness goals are to keep going so that I can get to my goal weight and keep it off. I want to get stronger. I want to increase the weight that I am lifting now as well as stay fit and healthy.”

What do you do to make sure you have time for your workouts?

“I am very structured. On the days that I work out, I never plan anything for those days. If something interferes with my workout schedule, I will cancel or move things around so that my workout is done. I have made myself a priority and the workouts are something that never get pushed to the side.”

What is something positive you’ve learned about yourself since you started regularly exercising?

“I have never felt this good in my life. I finally have gained the self-confidence back that I lost years ago. I have learned that you have to take care of yourself first before you can take care of anyone else. I also learned that you have to like yourself before anyone else will like you. I was a very negative person. I hated the world because I was miserable in my own skin. I now love myself and I look forward to each day that I get to come to the Village and get stronger.”

What kind of milestones have you accomplished & what were the results?

“My milestones that I’ve accomplished are I am an 11-year breast cancer survivor. When I was diagnosed with the “C” word, I was terrified that my life was going to end. With my faith and the support of my family, I came through it like a champ. I also survived a horrible punch in the face from my ex-husband that almost took my life. I lived in a domestic violence relationship, verbal for 10 years, until May 26th, 2011, when my ex punched me in the face breaking all of my facial bones and knocking me unconscious and I fell down some concrete stairs and fractured my elbow, all of this /in front of our 9-year-old son. That day, May 26, 2011, I became a free woman. I left my spouse and started building a new life with my daughter and my son, and here I am today, a very strong, independent woman who has finally taken her life back.”

What would you say to someone on the fence about joining the Village?

“If someone is on the fence about joining, all I can say is the same words said to me: “What do you have to lose?” If you don’t start, you will never know all of the positivity that follows with joining other women who will hold you up and keep you motivated. Give it a try. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to continue, but if you never try it, you will never know all of the amazing results that will follow.”

We LOVE you, Helen! We’re so grateful to have you be a part of our tribe! Thank you for sharing your story with us all and inspiring others! Don’t forget to show Helen some love by leaving a comment below!

If you’re looking to start your fitness journey, Call or Text us today for a free consultation!

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Comments (3)

Can’t tell you how happy this spotlight makes me. I’ve known Helen for years as our boys grew up playing ball together. I LOVE hearing your confidence, and happiness. You deserve it all! Way to put in the work, Helen!